Enter the Starjammers
by newbee25
Summary: The X-Men have their first encounter with the Starjammers. Cyclops doesn't understand why Corsair feels so familiar, or why he seems to take an interest in him. WARNING: WILL CONTAIN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT if you don't like it, don't read it. First story in the series.
1. Chapter 1

_The following takes places at the end of the X-Men Evolution episode "Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom"_

"I am on a month of probation, I have to vash all of the uniforms, and I have to vash and vax the X-Jet," Kurt told his best friend in his usual German accent. Scott gripped the railing of the balcony and leaned.

"That's not so bad, you know-"

"_After_ sessions with Logan." Scott grimaced.

"Ouch."

"I never should have left. She doesn't even vant to be here anymore." Scott sighed and looked out towards the carnival the high school had put on as a fundraiser. His sentence was cut off as he saw something falling from the sky.

"Kurt-"

"On it!" Kurt teleported out to alert the X-Men as Scott ran to his room to change into his uniform. He switched his glasses to his visor and ran to the main room of the Institute. It took seconds for the rest of the X-Men to join him.

"What's going on?"

"It looks like an asteroid is heading straight for us. Storm, I need you to fly up and get a better look. Jean, I need you to see if there's any way you can slow it down. Shadowcat, you and Rogue get us visuals. Nightcrawler, be ready to teleport me or Spyke up to the roof to destroy it if needed." Everyone nodded and went to do their assigned job. Scott followed Jean outside to see what he could do to support her, and to see if she was able to slow the asteroid or not. If not, he needed to be prepared with a new plan. Jean put her hands to her head and tried using her telekinetic abilities to slow the asteroid.

"I, I can't hold it much longer, Scott," she told him, straining. Scott nodded.

"Ok, can you hold it for five more minutes?" Jean's nose started to bleed, but she nodded. "Nightcrawler," Scott called into his communication device. "I need you to get me and Spyke to the roof, now!" A second later, Scott was on the roof.

"What now, Cyclops?"

"Jean, let it go!" he called into the device. "Shadowcat, Rogue- does someone have a visual on the asteroid?"

"It's naht ahn asteroid, Cyclops. It's a plane!" Scott looked up to the sky and saw the not asteroid, but definitely burning thing, coming straight for the Institute.

"Jean," he said into the communication device. "Can you pull it to us?"

"That's easier to do. On it," Jean returned.

"Don't hurt yourself. If it gets to be too much, _stop_." Scott watched as the not-asteroid started coming towards them. "SOMEONE GET ME ICEMAN!" Bobby was there in a poof of blue smoke.

"What's going- holy crap!"

"Iceman, as soon as it starts getting closer, I need you to put as much ice on it as possible. Storm," he said into the device, "help Iceman by cooling down the fire with rain. The more rain the better!" The rain started, fast and hard. Scott put his hand over his visor and tried to clear the water from his vision.

"Now?" Iceman asked.

"Wait for it… now!" Bobby sent ice in the air towards the not-asteroid and it was immediately inclosed in a casing of ice. "Nightcrawler, get it down here! By the pool!" Scott watched Kurt teleport away and saw his smoke on top of the ice. Scott used his powers to create a space for the thing to slide and stop without causing too much damage. The now block of ice landed and did exactly what Scott had hoped.

"What is it?" the other X-Men asked him as the rain stopped.  
"I don't know. Let's get the ice off and we'll inspect it then. Is everyone ok? Jean?"

"Just a headache. I'll be fine," she responded, landing on the roof next to Scott. She swayed a little bit on her feet and Scott rushed to her.

"Let's get you inside and resting. I'm sorry. You should have stopped-"

"A headache is better than dying." Scott sighed, knowing she was right, but still concerned for her.

"Go in, see what we have for you to take, and rest." Jean nodded and Kurt walked up to her.

"Vould you like a lift?" Jean smiled and nodded and Kurt teleported them away. Scott looked around.

"Iceman, how are you?"

"I'm good, Cyclops. What do you need?"

"Can you make a slide for us to get down from here?" Bobby nodded and rolled his shoulders before making an ice slide from the roof to the ground. The X-Men took turns sliding down.

"It's like, freezing!" Kitty said, shivering.

"It's ahyce," Rogue reminded her, rolling her eyes. Scott shook his head and walked over to the unknown falling object and looked at it. He fell back as it started to shake.

"Fall back!" he called to his team. The X-Men stepped away and covered themselves as ice flew off of the block and sprayed them. Scott looked up and saw… _things_ coming out of what was now obviously a hatch opening from a plane of some sort.

"Please help! Our captain is hurt!" a lizard man asked Scott.

"Um… ok? Where is your captain?" Scott saw a human sized white feline come out of the hatch, supporting a man dressed in a blue and red uniform with some sort of bird on his chest. He had semi-long brown hair that was kept out of his face by a blue bandana wrapped around his head. She laid the man on the ground and Scott lowered himself next to him to check to see if he was breathing.

"He has a pulse," he called to Storm. "Someone get Nightcrawler back here with a stretcher." Scott saw bleeding coming from the man's head. "Do you have bandages?" he asked the lizard man. The lizard man nodded and went into the hutch, returning seconds later with what Scott assumed was a first-aid kit. Scott rifled through it, seeing weird odds and ends before finding antiseptic, gauze pads, and tape. He quickly cleaned the wound as best he could and covered it with the gauze. As soon as he finished, Nightcrawler was there with a stretcher.

"Help me get him on," he asked the strange mutants. The lizard man and a guy with a metal eye helped lift their captain and carry him into the building. Scott noticed that the cat woman was holding the captain's hand as they carried him inside. The crew stopped once inside and looked to Scott.

"Where can we put him?"

"He is welcome to stay in our Med Lab until he is well again," Scott heard Professor Xavier comment. "Cyclops, you can lead them there." Scott nodded and showed the three, four including the unconscious man on the stretcher, to an elevator in the back room. He pressed a button on the elevator and it closed the doors and took them to the lower levels. Once they exited the elevator, the man on the stretcher shot up, grabbing his head.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Corsair!" Scott stopped walking as it seemed the group needed a minute.

"Did the Shi'ar get us?"

"They blasted our ship," the lizard man told him. "We got knocked to Terra."

"Are you sure Ch'od?" The lizard man, Ch'od, nodded. "Damn. Where are we?" The crew looked up at Scott. The captain turned to look with them and saw a _kid_.

"Um. You should still get checked out, even if you're awake now. It's safe here for… everyone." Corsair got off of the stretcher and held a hand to his head.

"Hello. I'm Corsair, and this is Ch'od," the lizard man nodded, "Hepzibah," the cat woman nodded, "and Raza," the one with a metallic eye nodded. "We're the Starjammers."


	2. Chapter 2

a**Author's note: In no way do I claim to own any version of X-Men, unless we're talking about the action figures, comics, and other shirts. This idea was inspired by a passing thought I'd had, and the relationship between Corsair and Cyclops comes from reading comics.**

"Hello. I'm Corsair, and this is Ch'od," the lizard man nodded, "Hepzibah," the cat woman nodded, "and Raza," the one with a metallic eye nodded. "We're the Starjammers. And you are?"

"I'm Cyclops."

"Where are we?" Corsair asked as they walked to Med Lab. He obediently sat on a bed as Scott showed Hepzibah where their first aid kit was. Hepzibah brought it over to Corsair and hissed at him when he covered his wound with his hand.

"This is Westchester, New York."

"So we are on Earth," Corsair muttered.

"Um, yeah. Where else would you be?"

"The universe is a huge place, kid. Earth isn't the only place that has a race." Scott looked at the people with Corsair.

"Aliens?"

"Ch'od here is from the planet Timor, Hepzibah is from the planet Tryl'sart, and Raza is a cyborg. All three are from planets in the Shi'ar empire."

"And you?" Corsair didn't get the chance to answer as Charles Xavier rolled into the room.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm Charles Xavier. Welcome to my home."

"Hello. I'm Corsair, captain of the Starjammers. My crew: Ch'od, Hepzibah, and Raza. Young Cyclops here has told me we're in New York."

"Yes. Where did you come from, if I might ask?"

"Space," Corsair said, with a mad twinkle in his eye.

"I see. So you and your crew aren't from Earth?"

"Former inhabitants of the Shi'ar Empire," Corsair repeated. "As you could tell from our ship, we're not exactly welcomed by them any more."

"Is that what came flying towards us? We thought it was an asteroid," Scott spoke up.

"Yes, our spaceship. Ch'od, how did it look upon landing?" Ch'od winced. "That bad?"

"It will take some time to repair, my captain," Hepzibah told him.

"Ok. We'll have to find somewhere where you three aren't noticed. The people on Earth aren't as… welcoming of differences as the rest of the galaxy." Charles looked at Scott, who nodded.

"Your crew is safe here. You may stay in my home until your ship is repaired, provided you remain quiet about the on-goings of its inhabitants." Corsair looked between Charles and Scott, frowning.

"It's nothing harming kids, is it?"

"No." Corsair looked at his crew and they agreed to stay.

"Thank you Mr. Xavier."

"It's Professor Xavier," Scott corrected him.

"My apologies." Hepzibah allowed Corsair to stand up.

"My students were about to retire for the night. I'm sure they would be willing to show you around in the morning."

"Um, Professor, don't you think we should… hide their ship? A _lot_ of people saw it coming down. If we hide it, we can say it went over the cliff? I know people will come looking, but it's easier to say it shattered on impact than it was full of aliens."

"You're right, of course. Let's move the helicopter to another hanger, and we'll see if Nightcrawler can help us move it quickly." Scott nodded and started walking out. He heard footsteps coming up beside him and saw Corsair at his side.

"I'd like to see my ship," he shrugged. Scott nodded and continued towards the elevator.

"So what planet are you from?"

"Oh. I'm from Earth." Scott gave Corsair a look.

"How did you end up in space?" Corsair sighed.

"That's… a painful story. The Shi'ar abducted me. I lost my entire family because of them."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Corsair sighed and wiped at his eyes.

"Don't be. I've been able to do a lot of good with the Starjammers. Of course, I'd drop it for another chance with my boys, but it's fine." Scott led Corsair outside and let him look at his ship. Corsair gasped and ran towards it.

"Nightcrawler, we need you outside," Scott spoke into his communication device. Nightcrawler teleported right near him.

"Vhat is going on?"

"Aliens," Scott said with his hands in front of him. Kurt laughed.

"Seriously. Vhat-"

"Nightcrawler. I'm crazy serious. I thought they were mutants, but no. Their captain listed the planets they're all from."

"Vhere's he from? He looks like a human."

"_He's_ from Earth, but the other three aren't." Corsair came walking back to them, fuming. Scott stood up straight and put his hands behind his back. Corsair raised his eye.

"At ease, kid. Military brat?" Scott dropped his arms and nodded.

"Vhat does that-"

"My dad was in the military," Scott told Kurt. "It just means he ran the house with a no nonsense attitude. Corsair here just… I guess he triggered something. I haven't done that in a while."

"Is everything alright sir?" Kurt asked, noting Corsair hadn't even blinked at his fuzzy blue skin.

"What the hell happened to my ship?"

"Your ship was coming at us at hundreds of miles per hour. It would have destroyed our town or our house. We slowed it down," Scott said, crossing his arms.

"It's destroyed! Everything is covered in _ice_!"

"It was on fire!"

"Then how is it covered in ice now?!" Scott rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to try to salvage it or not? We can get it in a hanger so your crew can work on it without fear of being seen. We'll put something under it to collect the water. That's all I can tell you." Corsair crossed his arms and stared Scott down. Kurt was sweating for him, but Scott didn't even seem phased.

"Fine. Open the damn hanger. I don't know how you'll get it there without destroying it worse."

"Did you get the helicopter out?" Scott asked Kurt. Kurt nodded. Scott went to the basketball court, bounced the ball to Kurt, and pressed a button in a specific pattern. Corsair watched in amazement as the court separated to show a plane hanger.

"What the hell type of home is this?" Scott nodded to Kurt and Kurt teleported to the ship before teleporting it into the hanger and then teleporting back up.

"You might need to make it look like it slid, Cyclops." Scott nodded to Charles, who had just joined them with the rest of the Starjammers. He put his hand to his visor and blasted a trail the rest of the way to the cliff. He even went to the cliff and blasted down, giving it the effect of something big hitting the rocks at the bottom. He jogged back over to the group and stood next to Kurt.

"Super powered teens. Got it," Corsair noted.

"As you can see, we have just as many secrets to protect as you do. We would appreciate you keeping what we can do quiet, and we'll allow you to roam freely in our home without fear of being hurt for being different."

"This does seem to be in our best interest, Captain," the cyborg, Raza, spoke up.

"Alright. There's only so much we'll be able to do to fix it on Earth, but we can try." Charles nodded.

"I'll get you settled. Cyclops, we'll need linens for four rooms, please."

"Three," Corsair corrected, holding Hepzibah's hand.

"Three," Charles conceded.

"Where do you want them?"

"Lower levels are fine. I'm sure they'll want to be near their ship." Scott nodded and started going inside.

"Dismissed!" he heard Corsair call. Scott turned around and gave him a salute before continuing inside. He went back to the lower levels and went to the linen closet, pulling out three sets of queen size sheets.

"Does anyone want to help me in the lower levels with the hospitality crap?" He asked in his communication device.

"Nope!" was the response from several X-Men.

"I'll be there in a minute," Jean responded.

"Are you sure? Out of everyone, I can understand _you_ taking a break."

"I'm fine, Scott. Just give me a minute." Shortly after she said it, Jean was at the linen closet with him.

"You look really pale. Are you-"

"Scott Summers, I swear if you ask me that one more time, I'll have you twirl around in a tutu during the next Danger Room session!" Scott raised his hands in surrender, as best he could with sheets in his hands.

"You know how you feel, I get it. But as team leader, it's my job to not push you past your limits. I'm just trying to make sure you're not made worse."

"I appreciate it, but you need help and no one else would do it."

"I could make the new recruits do it," Scott mumbled.

"But you won't." Scott shrugged. Jean grabbed several comforters and followed Scott into the first room. He put two sets on a chair in the room and took the other to the bed.

"Who are they?"

"Aliens, believe it or not. Except the captain, Corsair. He's from here." They began putting the fitted sheets on the bed.

"I never would have thought that aliens actually existed."

"Same. I would have just assumed they were mutants." Jean and Scott finished making the bed and moved into the next room.

"Atten-tion!" Scott jumped up and put one hand to his head in a salute while the other was straight down. Jean saw he was stiff and unmoving, something that concerned her.

"Cyclops?"

"At ease," Corsair said, chuckling. Scott relaxed his body and glared at the man.

"Are you done?"

"It's entertaining. I used to time my boys to see how fast they could stand at attention. The fastest one would get extra dessert that night. I never thought I'd find another military brat to mess with."

"Great, you were an ass. Do you want us to keep putting the sheets on, or are you going to do it?" Corsair looked at the bed with what Scott thought was longing.

"I'll do it. I haven't made a real bed in… years." Scott sighed.

"You can go," he told Jean.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure Corsair remembers how delicate sheets are on this planet."

"Will you be ok with him?"

"I'm right here, you know." Jean curled her nose up at him.

"I know."

"I like you," Corsair grinned. Jean scowled and looked at Scott.

"He won't do that… thing again, will he?"

"I won't do it again. Tonight at least."

"Go, Jean. I'll be fine." Jean looked worried, but she left Corsair with Scott as they finished making the bed.

"She's cute. Is she your girlfriend?" Scott turned as red as his visor.

"No. She's just a friend."

"Didn't tell her how you felt fast enough, did you? And now she's with another guy?" Scott threw the pillow he'd just put in a case on the bed.

"Why are you talking to me?" Corsair gently placed the pillow he'd been working on on the bed.

"You're the only one who's introduced himself to me. The rest of the Starjammers are working on the ship and my human hands aren't allowed to help. I figured I could at least make myself useful." Scott let out a deep breath.

"You've got to stop going 'military dad' on me, ok? It's confusing to anyone who isn't a military brat, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here who is. Honestly, I don't even know if that's a thing for others. My dad just liked to mess with us." Scott moved into the third and final room, Corsair following close behind.

"I'll calm down. I haven't been around humans in a while. It's going to take a bit to remember how touchy we are. Or is that just teens?" Scott rolled his eyes and continued making the bed.

"So," Corsair started after a few minutes of awkward silence. "Is 'Cyclops' your actual name, or just a codename?"

"Codename."

"What's your real name?" Scott looked up and stared at Corsair.

"That's need to know," he finally told him as he picked up a pillow to put in a case.

"I suppose that's fair. But it _is_ a relief to know your parents weren't that cruel." Scott put the pillow on the bed and walked to the door.

"Bathrooms are down the hall. They're community baths and showers, so if… Hepzibah?" Corsair nodded. "If Hepzibah is uncomfortable, she can use the showers upstairs. You know where your ship is. Until tomorrow morning, just… don't go anywhere else. I'll be down at seven to take you all up for breakfast. I'll introduce you to my team and someone will give you a tour."

"Not you?"

"My Saturdays are busy. I have practices to plan and schedule after breakfast, I have a workout schedule to keep, and it's my turn to figure out dinner. As it is, it's after eleven and I had school and a carnival fundraiser today. I'm exhausted."

"Oh. Ok then." Corsair turned and adjusted the pillows on the bed. Scott sighed and saluted at the door, clearing his throat. Corsair turned and smiled at the sight. "Dismissed." Scott nodded and left to pass out in his bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Still don't own or make any sort of monetary profit from these stories.**

The next morning, Scott's alarm went off at 6:30. He groaned as he turned it off and sat up, carefully rubbing his eyes. He got out of bed and went into his ensuite bathroom. Being the leader of the X-Men, and the first recruit, did have some benefits Scott enjoyed. He quickly relieved himself, washed his hands, and brushed his teeth before going back into his room to change into his usual Saturday workout clothes. He checked his watch and saw that it was ten minutes until seven. He took out his phone and sent Alex a 'how was your week' text and then started making his way to the lower levels. To his surprise, he saw Corsair and the other Starjammers up and dressed. Scott yawned and motioned for the group to follow him back onto the elevator.

"Good morning, Cyclops," the cyborg- Raza, Scott thought, said.

"Morning. I don't know how many people will be awake this early, but the adults usually take this time to relax before the craziness starts." Scott led the Starjammers to the dining room, unsurprised to only see the professor, Storm, and Logan.

"Good morning," Charles greeted his guests. "I trust you slept well last night?"

"We did, thank you. It was different to have all of us able to sleep at the same time. Usually someone is keeping guard or piloting. Or both." Corsair took a seat next to Logan, who was reading his newspaper, and offered his hand. "Corsair. Pleasure to meet you." Logan looked at Corsair's face, his hand, and then his face again.

"Wolverine," he said, returning to his paper.

"You'll have to excuse Wolverine. He's not very sociable during the day, and he's even worse in the morning before his coffee. I'm Storm. I hope your stay so far has been pleasant."

"It has, thank you. Cyclops here has been a great help." Scott was sitting next to Storm and trying not to doze back off.

"Breakfast!" Jean called, walking through the doorway connected to the kitchen. She was using her telekinesis to carry the trays and set them on the table. "Oh. _You're_ up," she said, talking to Corsair.

"And a very good morning to you, too."

"Hmph!" Jean sat next to Scott protectively and waited for Charles to make himself a plate.

"Alright, Red. What's wrong now?" Logan asked, spearing several sausages with his metal claws.

"That man and his military training." Logan turned to Corsair.

"No kiddin'. Army."

"Air Force," Corsair said, finally shaking Logan's hand.

"Captain Corsair is not a bad person," Ch'od said as he made himself a plate. "He's just lonely."

"And thank you, Ch'od." Corsair began making himself a plate and passed the trays across the table. Scott made a small plate and started eating,

"Thanks," he told Jean when she passed him a glass of juice. "Are we still on for later, Wolverine?"

"Yeah. Our usual time?" Scott nodded.

"Professor, would you mind getting Shadowcat or Nightcrawler to give our guests a tour?"

"Certainly. You go and have a productive morning, Cyclops." Scott nodded to Charles and waved goodbye to the Starjammers. He went to the lower levels and entered the mainframe of the Danger Room. Using the holographic table, Scott began designing new scenarios he wanted to try. Knowing there were other worlds out there got him including scenarios with little green men, as he didn't know how else to design them. Once he was satisfied with everything, he saved his files and made his way to the gym to start his solo routine before Logan would join him.

"And this is like, our gym. You guys are totally like, fine to use it whenever you want," he heard Kitty say. Scott groaned and sat on the ground to start stretching. "Well, that's the end of our tour. Any questions?" Scott sighed in relief as the door closed behind him.

"Would you like some company?"

"Look, man, I don't know what your fascination with me is, but it's starting to get creepy." Scott sat on a padded chair attached to a weight system controlled by arms. He moved the peg to allow for lifting more weight and began pushing his arms together to lift.

"How old are you, kid?" Corsair asked, sitting at a different machine to lift weights.

"Seventeen."

"My oldest would be your age. I guess I just saw a little bit of him in you." Scott closed his eyes and let out a breath.

"I get it. I lost my dad when I was a kid. I tried to latch on to anyone who reminded me of him. But I'm not your son. The sooner you remember that, the easier it'll be to get along, especially since we have no idea how long you and your crew will be here." Corsair gave a sad sigh.

"I know you're right. I know my boys are dead. The last I saw of them, their parachutes were on fire, and they were still miles from the ground. As a father, it's hard to accept that you outlived your child. And then, I was in space with my wife and that… that _monster_ D'Ken _murdered _her right in front of me." Scott had stopped using the weights and was listening to Corsair's story. "I never had the chance to grieve her, or my boys. I was thrown into a prison camp where I met Ch'od, Raza, and Hepzibah. We barely made it out alive, but we swore an oath to stop D'Ken at all cost. We became space pirates to keep his empire down."

"You're a pirate?" Scott asked.

"Technically. I prefer to think of myself as a space Robin Hood, but I can't seem to get my crew to understand who that is. They do understand pirates. My boys loved pirates, so I don't mind." Scott started pushing the weights again.

"I don't know what kid doesn't love pirates. My brother and I used to dress up and run around the house. It drove my mom crazy." Scott squeezed his eyes shut at the memory of his mother.

"She sounds nice. Is she still-" Scott stopped pushing the weights and stood up to wipe them down.

"She's dead." Scott laid down on a seat and started lifting weights again.

"Come, on, Slim, you know you're not supposed to lift that alone." Scott heard Wolverine say as he entered the gym.

"Corsair is in here, so I'm not technically alone," Scott smirked at Wolverine.

"If you want to work on the jet, fly boy here is good. But this is heavy lifting. You're gonna want to stay with the Army guy." Scott racked the bar and stared at Logan.

"Obviously the Air Force isn't that bad if I'm a product of it," he reminded Logan before he began lifting again.

"Your old man was in the Air Force? Maybe I knew him. What was his name?"

"Giving you his name would be like giving you mine. It's need to know."

"Even I don't know it," Wolverine commented, keeping an eye on Scott. "That's enough, Slim. Get your weights and start jogging." Scott nodded, wiped down the bar and bench, and grabbed some weights to start jogging on the track.

"Where were you stationed?" Corsair asked Logan. Logan chuckled.

"I was all over everywhere. Army never wanted to keep me in one place for too long. I'd get restless and go AWOL. They needed me too much to discipline me. But they did refuse to move me up in the ranks. I stayed a private all sixty years."

"Sixty- Private Howlett?!" Logan looked at Corsair, who was now standing.

"Who's askin'?"

"Private Logan Howlett. We learned all about you in the Air Force, especially the jumps you'd make from the planes. Did you really work with Captain America?" Logan frowned and nodded once.

"Seriously Logan? You never told us that!" Scott said, stopping right near them for water.

"It's need to know." Scott just grinned at him and wiped the sweat from his face.

"It's an honor to meet you, Private Howlett. Major Christopher Summers."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: X-MEN IS STILL NOT MINE AND WILL NEVER BE MINE**

**Warning: Language in chapter**

"It's an honor to meet you, Private Howlett. Major Christopher Summers," Corsair said, once again holding out his hand to shake Logan's. Scott's water bottle dropped from his hands and he stared at Corsair as Logan stared at him.

"S-Summers?" Scott shook his head and backed away, tripping over the weights he'd placed on the ground. Corsair nodded, confused.

"Cyclops, maybe you should hit the showers." Instead, Scott shot back up and stalked back to Corsair.

"How the hell do you know that name?!" He demanded, shoving Corsair.

"What name- _my_ name? I'm named after my great-grandfather. What the hell is wrong with you?" Corsair grabbed Scott's arms before Scott could shove him again.

"I don't care who you are," Logan growled, his adamantium claws coming out. "You'll let 'em go. Now." Corsair let go of Scott and braced himself for being shoved again.

"You're not Chris Summers. Who the hell are you?!" Corsair sighed and pulled off some necklaces that were hidden under his shirt, showing them to Scott.

"You should know what dog tags are. Here." He held them out and Scott took them, looking at them intensely. Scott could recognize these tags anywhere. His father would let him wear one and Alex would wear the others while he was home.

"Chris Summers always carried one more thing around his neck," he said, not looking at Corsair.

"You mean this?" Corsair took off his locket and opened it. "You can look, but don't take this. It's all I have left of my family." Scott looked at the picture inside of the locket. It was red from his glasses, but otherwise, it was the same. Scott dropped to his knees and felt tears streaming down his face at the picture of his mother holding him and Alex.

"Scott? Scott!" Jean flew into the room and stood protectively in front of him, glaring at Corsair. "What did you do to him?!"

"I haven't done a damn thing!" Corsair yelled back. He put his locket back under his shirt and looked at Logan.

"Do _you_ understand what's going on?" Logan nodded.

"Jean, I'd like for you to meet Major Christopher Summers of USAF." Jean's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. Scott shook his head.

"He's _DEAD_!" Corsair blinked and then knelt to look at Scott's face.

"I'm not. My wife, Katherine, and I were transported from our plane before it was destroyed. My sons, Scott and Alex, were pushed out in our only parachutes- something I'd do again and again to ensure their safety over mine. Their parachutes caught fire. They're gone. Not me."

"I think this would be better discussed in my office," Charles spoke up. Scott looked around and saw the X-Men and the Starjammers looking at him and Corsair.

"Captain?"

"I'm alright, Raza. Just a little misunderstanding, I'm sure." Scott, not understanding what came over him, reached out and yanked the locket from Corsair's neck before walking away. Hepzibah, knowing what the locket meant to her lover, blocked Scott's exit from the gym. Scott raised his hand to his glasses, ready to blast her out of his way, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"If you do to her what you did to the ground last night, it will be the last thing you _ever_ do," Corsair whispered harshly. He grabbed Scott's hand and pulled out his locket. "_This_ is _mine_."

"_That_ is my _father's_. That is _my _mother, _my _brother, and _me_. I don't know how you found it, _pirate_, but I know it sure as hell doesn't belong to you." Hepzibah, seeing Corsair with the locket again, moved aside to allow Scott to leave, but Scott was holding his hand out for the locket to be returned.

"Prove it," Corsair said, crossing his arms, protecting his locket.

"Cyclops, this is not how we treat our guests. I need you to calm down and meet us in my office in ten minutes." Scott tightly nodded and left. Charles turned to Corsair.

"Were you truly born Christopher Summers?"

"I'd show you my birth certificate, but I'm sure someone has gone through my safe in my house in Alaska."

"Logan," Charles called over. "I will call the Masters'. I would like for you to pick them up and bring them here. I believe Major Summers is due a long awaited reunion." Logan nodded and left to change and man the Blackbird.

"Who are the Masters'?" Corsair asked.

"The family that is fostering Alex."

"But he's-"

"Obviously he isn't, Major Summers. And as you seem to have figured it out already, I don't think it needs repeating that Cyclops is Scott. Your boys are alive." Corsair ran out of the gym. He saw Scott in the elevator and he forced himself to run faster to catch up. He slid into the elevator and stood up.

"Scott?" Scott nodded and Corsair wrapped his arms around him. "I thought I'd never see you again." Corsair held Scott as he sobbed into his shoulder. The elevator doors opened and Corsair gently led Scott out and to a couch he saw. The two sat and Scott continued to cry. Corsair simply rubbed Scott's back and wiped his own tears away.

"M-Mom?" Scott finally said after calming down.

"She's gone. I think I told you that story." Scott nodded and again reached for the locket. This time, Corsair didn't put up a fight. He watched Scott maneuver the trick clasp like he'd done it thousands of times and open it. Scott sniffed and wiped his face.

"I haven't seen a picture of her in almost ten years," he told Corsair in a thick voice.

"We can take a trip back home and see if we can find what happened to all of our pictures."

"Why haven't you done that already?" Scott asked, pulling himself out of Corsair's grasp.

"I couldn't bear to return to a world that had nothing for me. I didn't think there was any way you two survived, or I would have been scouring the universe looking for you."

"Alex was fine. He was given to a family in Hawaii. I hit my head and stayed in a coma for several months. No one wanted a brain damaged kid. I was bounced from foster home to foster home until my powers arrived. The professor found me three years ago and brought me here."

"Brain damage?"

"My eyes. I hit the back of my head really hard. It destroyed the part of my brain that controls my eyes, which is why I'm stuck in these glasses." Corsair rubbed Scott's cheek with his thumb.

"Red was your mother's favorite color." Scott nodded with a sad smile. "Why didn't Alex's family take you in as well? They shouldn't have separated siblings."

"No one knew. Honestly, until a few months ago, I thought I was alone. And then Alex came into his powers and Professor Xavier found him. He didn't want to leave the ocean to live in New York, so he's still there."

"But you at least still talk to him, right?"

"Yes, Dad, I still talk to him." Scott pulled out his phone to show Corsair that he'd just texted Alex that morning, when he saw he had a text back from him. "He usually is still asleep. Just give me a second." Scott read the text and then pressed the button to call Alex and put the phone to his ear.

"_Scott! My parents said Wolverine is coming to bring me to New York? What the heck, man?"_

"I didn't realize they were doing that, but Alex… trust me. You want to be here."

"_I told you, bro. I can't handle the snow-"_

"You're from _Alaska_! How can you _not_ handle snow?"

"_Yeah, and when was the last time we were there? Look, tell your professor thanks, but no thanks."_

"Dad's alive." There was silence on the other line for a moment.

"_That's not funny,"_ Alex finally said.

"I'm being serious. He's sitting right beside me. He's been in space being a- get this- a _pirate_."

"_Dude, quit it. It's not fuckin' funny to use him to get me to visit."_ Corsair scowled as he overheard the conversation.

"Does your phone allow video?" Scott nodded and switched to it. Corsair saw Alex- definitely much _tanner_ than he'd anticipated, but it was still his blonde child.

"Alexander Philip, I don't appreciate the language you were just using. Where did you even _learn_ that word?" Alex blinked at Corsair.

"_Scott?"_

"I told you he was alive."

"_Is Mom there, too?!"_

"No… no, she's not."

"_Oh. How did you make it and not her?"_ Corsair sighed.

"Right before the plane was about to blow up, we were transported out by an alien race. Your mother didn't make it past this. I was thrown into a prison camp where I made some friends. We escaped and have been giving the rulers of the empire that took me hell ever since."

"_How are you in New York?"_

"The emperor had his men chasing us and they hit one of our engines. We quite literally crashed at Scott's house."

"_So you've been there who knows how long and you're just now telling me?"_

"Hey, they got here after nine last night. And we only just realized who he was less than an hour ago, so excuse me for taking a minute for myself!"

"Boys! You two know better than to fight. Alex, you will be here by dinner, right?" Alex nodded. "Good. Go ahead and pack several outfits. After we get acquainted, I'd like to take a trip back home to see what was left for us. I'd prefer to do it with both of my boys."

"_Ok, Dad. But I'm going to have to get clothes for the trip. All I have are Hawaii appropriate clothes."_

"I'll take care of it. You just get here." Alex nodded and ended the call. Corsair looked at Scott. "You should go take a shower. Once you're done, we can talk some more. I'd like to hear about the last nine years."

"It might take some time," Scott told him. "And I'm on dinner duty."

"Then we'll go to the store and get stuff for hamburgers and hotdogs. I haven't had one in _forever_."

"Ok. Give me about fifteen minutes." Corsair nodded and watched Scott get up and head upstairs.

"He's a remarkable young man," Charles told him, his wheelchair coming into Corsair's view.

"He always has been. I just can't believe this is really happening. I've dreamed of this moment for years. I just wish I hadn't missed so much of his and Alex's lives. If I'd known, nothing could have kept me from them."

"Scott said something similar about Alex when we discovered his location. He'd said he'd always hoped, but the doctors told him he was the only survivor after he woke up from his coma."

"He said he'd spent a few months in one." Charles shook his head.

"I wish it had been a few months. Scott spent over a year in a coma. Once he woke up, he was mishandled by the state. I was lucky to find him as well as I did. He's very unsure of himself as it stands now. I'd hoped reuniting with Alex would help him, but when Alex stated he had no desire to move here, even to be closer to his brother, the walls Scott had slowly started to let down were built right back up and fortified."

"He's definitely his mother's son," Corsair sighed.

"Major Summers," Corsair looked up, "if you hurt him in any way, you will spend the rest of your life regretting it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then we understand each other." Corsair nodded.

"I know I'm not, I don't have powers, but I do have skills I can teach your students. I'd love to stay on. I can teach them how to fly, weapons, how to safely jump from a plane, how to fight… And I can help them prepare for the Shi'ar."

"What about your crew?"

"They don't need me. I was given my position because of my bravery in rescuing Hepzibah. I've told them time and time again that if I ever somehow had a chance to have my boys back, I was done."

"Then we would be happy to have you on as an instructor. I will see to securing you a room upstairs. I'm sure I can get contractors to take some rooms and turn them into a suite for the three of you."

"Alex doesn't seem interested in staying long."

"But now that you're here, he might be willing to visit more. I'm sure he'd appreciate a room just for him. And I'll have a kitchenette included for those nights you want to spend together."

"I appreciate it, Professor."

"Charles, please."

"Chris." The two shook hands.

"Ok, I'm ready," Scott said, coming back downstairs. "Do you want to go out for lunch?"

"We can do that. I have a few things I'd like to talk to you about while we're out."

"Alex should be here by four," Charles told them.

"We'll be back. Let everyone know we're grilling hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner?"

"I will. Do you have your card?" Scott nodded. "Alright. Enjoy your afternoon, Scott."

"Come on. We can take my car." Scott led Corsair to the garage and to his red and white convertible.

"You actually _found_ it!" Corsair laughed.

"The professor hunted it down for my sixteenth birthday." Corsair patted Scott's back and moved to get in the driver's side.

"What?" he asked, seeing Scott's face.

"Where's your license?"

"Brat," Corsair said, switching to the passenger seat. Scott got in the driver's side and started the car, put it in reverse, and left the property.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Refer to previous chapters about lack of ownership.**

**Warning: mentions of and act of spanking. Don't like, don't read. It was in the story description**

"Come on. We can take my car." Scott led Corsair to the garage and to his red and white convertible.

"You actually _found_ it!" Corsair laughed.

"The professor hunted it down for my sixteenth birthday." Corsair patted Scott's back and moved to get in the driver's side.

"What?" he asked, seeing Scott's face.

"Where's your license?"

"Brat," Corsair said, switching to the passenger seat. Scott got in the driver's side and started the car, put it in reverse, and left the property.

"There's a diner some of us like to go to up here. Would that be ok for lunch?"

"Sure." Scott drove to the diner and parked. He and Corsair got out of the car and went inside.

"Scott, dear, how are you?" A waitress said, coming over.

"I'm great, Ms. K. How are you?"

"I'm well, son, thanks for asking. Now who's this you have with you? I don't think I've seen him before, and you know better than to come when I'm not working."

"This is my dad. He was in an accident when I was little and… he lost his memory. He finally got some of it back and the first thing he did was come find me."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, then, Scott's dad," Ms. K said, hugging Corsair.

"Chris, please. And I'm happy to see that my son has so many people caring for him." Ms. K blushed as she led the two to a booth and gave them menus.

"What can I get you boys to drink?"

"I'll have my usual, Ms. K."

"Fruit punch and lemonade. And for you?" She asked Chris.

"I'll take a Coke, please." Ms. K wrote it down.

"Ok. I'll be back with those in just a few minutes."

"Who's on the grill?"

"Hector."

"Awesome. Thanks Ms. K!"

"You must come here often."

"It was just me and the professor for a while. He didn't exactly know how to feed a teenager, and I didn't know how to cook. Enter Ms. K and Hector. Once I got my license, I made it a point to come by at least once a week to check on them and let them check on me. Sometimes others will come with me, but it's usually just me or me and Jean, since she came in the picture about two months after I did."

"What would you suggest I get?" Corsair asked after perusing the menu.

"Hector is the best. I haven't had anything here that I don't like. But coming off of the diet you were probably on, it might be best to have not super greasy stuff? I'd recommend the deli sandwich."

"What are you getting?"

"My usual: strips and fries. It's comfort food," Scott shrugged and then smiled at Ms. K as she sat down two cups on the table.

"Know what you'd like, sugar?"

"I'd like chicken and fries, Ms. K. Especially since it's Hector. He seasons the fries better than anyone I know," he told Corsair.

"And I'd like a deli sandwich please."

"Your side?"

"Fries as well. Thank you." Ms. K took their menus with a smile.

"I'll get those out to you as soon as they're up."

"Thanks!" Scott took a sip of his drink and looked at Corsair. "So… you and Hepzibah?" Corsair nodded.

"Is that ok?"

"I mean that's your business… I just don't understand it." Chris raised an eye.

"Didn't think you needed to. Just know it works for us and we're happy." Scott blushed.

"So… you met in that… camp?"

"We did. That was how we all met and escaped. But there are a lot of things I shouldn't say out loud here, so let's move on."

"Ok. Um. How long do you think it'll take for them to fix the ship?"

"A month, at least. Possibly two." Corsair saw Scott's shoulders drop. "That's actually what I'd like to talk to you about, if you're up for it."

"It's fine. You had a job before you knew we were alive. I can't expect you to-"

"No, Scott. I'm leaving the crew. Charles is hiring me as an instructor for you and your friends."

"Really?"

"Yes. I still need to let them know, but I'm sure they'll figure it out. I have spent many years telling them I'd give it up for another chance with you and Alex."

"What about Hepzibah?"

"I'll give her a choice, to stay with me or to go. We can try long distance, if that's what she prefers. But I'm a father, first. If you two were adults, then maybe I'd still go with them and just visit more. But you've just turned seventeen, and Alex is almost fifteen. I still have time with you before you make a life for yourselves." The two thanked Ms. K as she set the food on the table. Scott reached for the ketchup and squeezed a generous helping onto his plate.

"Do you think she'll stay?"

"She won't like to be cooped up. I truly don't know how it will work." Scott absentmindedly tore a chicken strip in half as he thought.

"We can ask Professor Xavier. I'm sure you saw my friend Kurt last night. He's the one who helped get the ship in the hanger?"

"Ah, yes. Hard to forget him."

"Well, he doesn't always… look like _that_. The professor figured out a way to hide that so Kurt could go out in public. I'm sure he can make one for her if she'd like. I mean, it's an option if that's all that would keep her away. And she doesn't have to use it at the Institute. We're the least likely to judge things like that."

"I'll talk to Charles first to see if he'd agree, and then I'll talk to her. Thank you, son." They continued eating in silence for a little while.

"So what would you teach us?" Scott asked once they both only had fries left.

"Flying, safely jumping from a plane, weapons- ours and _theirs_, hand to hand. And lessons about _them_."

"We'll be co-instructors for flying. I've had my pilot's license almost as long as I've had my permit. I helped the professor build the simulator we have."

"What is it you do there?"

"I'm second in command, first while on the field or in simulations."

"I can't see someone like Logan taking that well." Scott shrugged.

"It helps that I'm not lording it over him. He sees that I make good calls and that I actually take what he says into consideration. We also both understand that if I screw up, he's the one who gets to decide what happens."

"Now that I'm here, I doubt that will be necessary. I'm sure you remember how I handle misbehaving." Scott blushed.

"It's pretty rare that I make a mistake that causes me to be put on probation."

"Then we won't have a problem."

"Logan's doing fine. You don't need to-"

"I'm your father, not him. Any questions?"

"No sir."

"Good. I'd hate to have our afternoon ruined by having to remind you how to act."

"You can't just jump back into my life and expect things to be the way they were ten years ago," Scott said angrily.

"Oh, I understand that some things have changed, but the way I discipline my children is not one of those things, Scott Christopher."

"Dad!"

"Exactly. I am your father. It's my responsibility to make sure you are prepared for-"

"For what? Being on my own? Been there, done that." Scott took a last sip of his drink before going to the register near the front to pay.

"Are you alright, sugar?" Ms. K asked.

"Yes ma'am. It's just going to take some getting used to again." He handed her $30, more than enough for the bill. "Keep the change, Ms. K. Thanks for taking care of us." Ms. Kay patted his hand and he went outside to wait for Chris. It was less than a minute for Corsair to leave the diner and join him.

"I know it's an adjustment, Scott. I'm sorry I was gone for so long. But if you want me here, this is how it's going to be."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll withdraw my offer to Charles and leave with the Starjammers once the ship is done."

"So you're going to just come and hear we're alive and then go back, leaving us alone again. Great parenting, Dad."

"That isn't what I want to do. I want to stay with you and Alex. I want to contribute to something that you two are a part of. But if you can't accept every aspect of that, then there's no point."

"You're blackmailing me."

"No, I'm trying to treat you like a mature adult since that's the way everyone else seems to treat you, but if you'd prefer, I can go back to treating you like you were seven years old again."

"That's not what I-"

"Hush. You have until we get to the store to decide if you want me to stay with all that it entails, or if I'm leaving and occasionally visiting." Scott frowned as he started driving to the store, thinking over Chris' words. He made it sooner than he'd anticipated and he parked in the nearest open parking spot.

"I want you to stay," he said quietly.

"What was that?"

"I want you to stay," Scott repeated, a little louder.

"I'm glad to hear that, Son. I want to stay, too. Now let's go in and get what we'll need for tonight. I think you're old enough to learn your Grandpa Summers' secret recipe for hamburgers."

"I'm too young to drink." Chris laughed as he and Scott got out of the car and started the walk inside.

"First things first," Corsair said after they grabbed a cart. "We need hamburger meat and hotdogs. Show me where they are." Scott led his father to the refrigerated section of the store and pointed out the meat. Chris looked at a few different types before putting several styrofoam containers in the cart. Scott led him to the lunch meat area and Corsair grabbed a few packages.

"Why so many?"

"I'd assume a bunch of teenagers would take a lot before getting full. And Ch'od can eat double that. Buns?" Scott took Corsair down the bread aisle and helped him get several packages of hamburger and hotdog buns. They moved on to get condiments and then onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.

"I take it you have olive oil, salt, pepper, and other spices?"

"Um… if there's a specific spice you're looking for, I'd grab it just in case."

"Ok. I need worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. And Grandpa's secret ingredient, cayenne pepper." Scott led him down the spice aisle and they found what Corsair needed.

"We should probably get a bunch of chips, too. And stuff for beans. And mac and cheese."

"And brownie sundaes?"

"Of course. Wait- Alex and I get dessert, right?"

"You two were arguing earlier, so we'll see."

"Dad!"

"What? You brought it up. I see the chips from here. You go get the stuff for dessert and I'll handle chips. We'll meet on the canned food aisle for beans and mac and cheese." Scott nodded and went to grab ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, syrup, and then he dropped it off at the basket before going to get the boxes of brownie mix.

"I'm going to grab some sodas too, ok?" Chris nodded as he put cans of baked beans into the basket. Scott came back with several 2-Liters of soda and started putting them in the basket.

"Watch the chips and bread, Scott."

"Then help me move them since my hands are obviously full."

"Excuse me?"

"I-I meant would you mind helping me so I don't mess them up?" Chris moved the bread to the seat of the cart and moved the chips so that Scott could put the sodas down.

"I need a new hairbrush. Where are they?"

"Dad, no. Please, I, I forgot."

"Scott."

"Dad-"

"One. Two. Th-"

"They're this way," Scott mumbled. He led Corsair to the other side of the store and waited by the cart as his father looked at the different styles of brushes. He finally found one, a straight backed wooden brush. He slapped it on the palm of his hand and then put it into the cart.

"Anything else?"

"No sir."

"Then let's check out." Scott nodded and they steered the cart to the register. Scott helped Chris load the belt with the food, making sure to not touch the brush himself. Once everything had been rung up, Scott paid with the card that was used for Institute related purchases. Once the cashier handed him the receipt, the father and son were headed to Scott's car.

"Alex should be here soon," Scott said, trying to initiate a conversation.

"Good. The two of you can help make dinner."

"Remember when Mom would pretend to let us help?"

"No, I don't. That must have been while I was deployed."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so." Corsair sighed.

"It won't work, Scott. We're going to get back to the house and we'll put groceries away, and then you and I are going to go up to your room for a few minutes."

"Dad, please. I just need a day to get adjusted to you being back. It won't happen again."

"Just drive, son. The more you try to talk me out of it, the likelier it'll happen." Scott stayed silent for the rest of the drive. Once they got to the Institute, Scott scanned his thumb at the gate and drove up the long driveway. He parked near the stairs to get into the mansion and got out of the car to open his trunk. He grabbed several bags, and to his dismay, he saw Corsair grab several bags with 2-Liters, reminding Scott that Chris' muscles weren't just for looks. They took the bags inside where Jean and Kurt were waiting to help put them away until it was time to use them.

"Are there more bags?" Kurt asked. Scott nodded and Kurt teleported them outside.

"It's just these left," Scott said, grabbing the bags of chips.

"How are you doing?" Scott shrugged.

"It's great because my dad is still alive, but it's hard because he wants to just insert himself into my life after having been gone for nearly ten years."

"At least he'll be gone soon," Kurt added. "The Starjammers vere very positive." Scott shook his head.

"He's staying. The professor has talked to him about being an instructor here. But he hasn't told the Starjammers, so don't say anything."

"How is that going to vork?" Scott shrugged.

"I'm going to stay grounded for the rest of my life," he sighed.

"But you're _Scott_! You're never in trouble!"

"I have a strict military dad. Trust me. He seems like he's super fun and chill, but say _one_ disrespectful thing and you're done."

"See? You do remember!" Scott turned and looked at the steps to see Corsair standing with Hepzibah. "Go put those away and then I'll see you upstairs." Scott nodded and turned to Kurt who immediately teleported them back to the kitchen. Scott helped Jean put the rest of the food away. Jean was on the last bag and pulled out the hairbrush.

"Who got this?" She asked, looking at it strangely.

"Oh, that's, um, my dad's. He got it for Hepzibah."

"Ok, I'll go take it to her."

"No, that's ok. My dad wanted to see my room, so I'll just give it to him and he can get it to her." Jean looked at Scott with a confused look.

"It's fine, Scott. I was going to go work out before dinner, so it's not a big deal."

"Jean, please." Jean looked at Scott and saw his red face.

"Ok. Here." Jean handed it to Scott. "It's not for Hepzibah, is it?"

"I can't, Jean. Please just drop it." Jean nodded once and Scott slid the brush into his pocket. "I'm going to show my dad my room," Scott said, refusing to look at his oldest friend. "Then we'll start working on dessert and dinner."

"He can't do anything without your consent. Just remember that."

"He already has it," Scott admitted before hurrying away. He saw Chris standing at the top of the stairs, waiting.

"Where've you been?"

"You left your purchase in the bag," Scott told him, leading him to his room. He opened the door and stepped in, Chris following close behind. Chris closed the door once he was in the room and he looked around.

"How long has this been your room?"

"Nearly three years."

"It looks like you've just moved in. There are no posters, no pictures, no movies… Geez, kid. Is this a school or a prison?" Scott crossed his arms and looked away from Corsair.

"I don't spend a lot of time in here. I don't see the point in decorating." Chris sighed and held his hand out to Scott. Scott felt his face burning as he handed his father the hairbrush from his pocket.

"What did you do wrong today?" Scott sighed as he stood at attention.

"I was disrespectful to your position as my father. I spoke out of turn. I was rude and demanding."

"What do you deserve?"

"Discipline, sir," Scott answered, shaking.

"Present yourself." It had been ten years since Scott heard those words, but the feelings they brought felt the same at seventeen as they did at seven. Scott sniffed as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and turned as he brought them and his boxers to his knees before bending over his bed. Scott heard footsteps coming behind him and felt the cool touch of the hairbrush.

_WHACK!_ Scott jumped as he felt the sting on his unprotected butt. _WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! _Scott knew better than to move, but he was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Scott Christopher?"

"I'm sorry sir. I'll do better." Scott felt a hand on his head and he knew it was over.

"Get your pants on. We have dinner to prepare."

"Yes sir," Scott said, standing. He quickly pulled his boxers up before allowing himself to rub the small ache out. Corsair was watching with his eye raised.

"Will you survive?"

"That remains to be seen. I'm sorry, Dad," Scott said again as he pulled up his pants and buttoned and zipped them. Corsair nodded and held an arm out for Scott. Scott went to him and allowed his father to comfort him.

"I hope you understand that I intentionally went easy on you. I couldn't let the disrespect go, but I didn't want to ruin our day."

"I understand. I know I deserved worse and I appreciate the leniency."

"For someone who hasn't been punished by me for several years, you sure didn't miss anything."

"Some things are impossible to forget, no matter how hard I tried." Chris kissed the top of Scott's head.

"Let's go get those patties made. Alex will be here soon enough and you'll have someone you can commiserate with." Scott walked with Corsair out of his room and back to the kitchen. Hepzibah was sitting at the small table in there, looking at the back of a box of brownie mix.

"Corsair," she greeted.

"Scott, I'd like to officially introduce you to my mate? Girlfriend? Partner? I don't know, Hep. How am I supposed to explain our relationship to my children?"

"Girlfriend is fine, Dad. I don't think I should hear a different word for it yet."

"Ok. Scott, this is Hepzibah, my girlfriend. Hep, this is my oldest boy, Scott." Scott shook Hepzibah's hand.

"Scott-boy doesn't seem disgusted by Hepzibah."

"My best friend is a fuzzy blue elf. Not much bothers me now." Scott followed Chris to the sink and they washed their hands.

"Let's get out the hamburger meat and the spices and worcestershire sauce. I'll get the meat, you get the bowl and spoon to mix it." Scott nodded and grabbed a big mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. Chris opened the package and dumped the meat in. Scott handed him the salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce.

"What was Grandpa's secret ingredient again?"

"Cayenne pepper." Scott nodded and grabbed that as well. He watched as Corsair added some of each to the bowl and then started mixing it.

"What can I do?"

"Get me some parchment paper and something to put the patties on." Scott nodded and grabbed the parchment paper from a drawer and put some on cookie sheets.

"Will this work?"

"Perfect. Now," Chris said, dipping his hand into the mixture, "get about this much meat and form it into a patty. Not too thin or it'll burn, and not too thick or it won't cook through. Yeah, that's a good size. Put it on the paper and then move on to the next one." Scott and Chris kept forming patty after patty. Towards the end, Scott checked the time.

"Alex should be here any minute now." Chris nodded and moved to wash his hands after his last patty.

"Get the trays in the fridge. They won't take long to grill, but I'd like a few minutes with Alex." Scott nodded and washed his hands before following his father's instructions.

"Want me to get started on the brownies?"

"Sure." Scott took a box Hepzibah wasn't looking at intensely and turned the oven on to start preheating. He grabbed eggs, a measuring cup, and vegetable oil and started measuring, cracking, pouring, and mixing. Once it was mixed together, Scott found a pan that would hold the mix. He sprayed it down and poured the mix in. Just as he finished pouring the mix in the pan, the oven beeped to indicate it had reached the desired temperature. Scott popped the tray in the oven and set the timer.

"Domestic life looks good on you," he heard. Scott turned and saw Alex in the kitchen with his bags.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Refer to previous chapters about lack of ownership**

**Warning: mentions and act of spanking in chapter. don't like, don't read**

"Domestic life looks good on you," he heard. Scott turned and saw Alex in the kitchen with his bags.

"Hey. I didn't hear anyone say you'd gotten here."

"Well I am. Where should I put my stuff?"

"You want to just room with me for now?"

"Sure." Scott wiped his hands and led Alex to his room.

"I'll get another bed in here before we're ready to sleep. You can just put your bags on my bed for now."

"Thanks. How's it been?"

"He hasn't changed. He's probably going to time us just for the hell of it."

"Aw man! I haven't even thought of that in _years_!"

"Tell me about it. He did it to me before we even realized who the other was. It pissed the mess out of Jean."

"I'll bet. Who's that skunk lady in the kitchen?"

"Hepzibah. She's, uh… I'll let Dad tell you about her."

"Got it. Do you know how long he'll be here?"

"I'll let Dad talk to you about that, too."

"Come on, man. Just tell me."

"I don't know how much he wants to tell you and I'm not getting in trouble again."

"'Again?' Dude, what'd you do in the past six hours?"

"I was 'disrespectful,'" Scott said as he headed to the door after hearing knocking. He opened it and allowed Chris in his room.

"Dad!" Alex rushed to Chris and hugged him. Corsair wrapped his arms around Alex and squeezed. After a few moments, he lifted an arm towards Scott and Scott got in on the hug.

"My boys. Oh, my boys. I have dreamed of this day for so many years."

"Dad, what happened to Mom?"

"She's gone, Alex. The Shi'ar emperor, D'Ken, destroyed her in front of me." Chris looked away from Scott and Alex in shame. "I tried to save her, but I was shackled to the wall."

"Why did they hurt her?"

"Because she was pregnant." Scott and Alex looked at Chris in complete shock. They understood what Chris wasn't saying- they'd lost a mother _and_ a sibling.

"You did everything you could?" Scott asked.

"I did. I broke the shackles, but it was too late. They realized how strong I was and they threw me into the prison camps. I kept to myself, but I saw the guards taking Hepzibah to their tent. I wasn't going to let another innocent woman suffer. I met up with friends she'd already made, and we rescued her before anything could happen. We got out during the chaos and confusion and became the Starjammers, hellbent on destroying everything the Shi'ar holds dear, just as they did to us."

"And they're the ones who caused your ship to crash in the backyard?"

"Yes."

"What's to stop them from coming and finishing what they started?"

"Earth isn't part of their empire. And the Guardians specifically protect Earth, since their leader is half human. As well as Captain Marvel."

"_Who_?" Scott and Alex asked at the same time.

"The Guardians of the Galaxy. They're like… they're like the Avengers of space. And Captain Marvel. That's Carol Danvers, another USAF vet. She's hard to explain unless you know her."

"And you know these people? Do they know you're a pirate?" Scott asked.

"Space Robin Hood. And yes. Once they realized that our goal is to ruin the Shi'ar, they actually started helping us. Our deal was that if D'Ken was… disposed of and his sister became the Empress, we'd back off. Everyone loves Lilandra, so it was an easy deal. But enough about me. I think the brownies will be done soon, and I want to introduce Alex to the Starjammers, and I want to meet your… parents." Alex nodded and the three left to go back to the kitchen.

"Jean!" Alex said, happy to see his brother's crush as she removed brownies from the oven..

"Alex. How was your flight?"

"Quick. I still can't get over how fast the Blackbird can travel. You should take a look at it, Dad. I'm sure Scott can show you how to fly it." Chris rolled his eyes and turned off the beeping timer.

"Where are your parents?"

"Funny thing. They didn't actually come."

"I thought that was part of why Logan went to get you?"

"They didn't want to interrupt me seeing you."

"Did they agree to let you go to Alaska?"

"I didn't ask." Chris sighed and crossed his arms while looking at his youngest.

"Get them on the phone. Now." Alex nodded and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.

"Mom! Yeah, I made it safely. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yes, I packed enough clothes. Yep. Yeah, look, my dad wants to talk to you and Pop. Yeah. Ok. Love you too." Alex handed the phone to Corsair and winced at the look his father was giving him.

"Hello? Yes, this is Christopher Summers," Chris pointed to the brownie mix boxes at the table with Hepzibah and Scott and Alex nodded. Chris stepped out of the room to continue his conversation.

"Oh, Hepzibah, this is Alex. Alex, this is Hepzibah."

"Um. Hi."

"Hello. Jean-girl was telling Hepzibah about Captain's kitlings." Scott grabbed a box of mix and set out to make another batch of brownies.

"What was she saying?" Alex asked, sitting across from her. Scott tuned the two out and concentrated on the brownies.

"How are things going?" Jean asked, putting her hand on Scott's arm.

"They're ok, I guess."

"At least you don't have to deal with him for too long," Jean offered. Scott slammed the spoon he was using to stir the mixture into the bowl.

"Why does everyone keep _saying _that?!"

"Scott, man, calm down," Alex said, getting up to stand by him. "She's just worried about you." Scott shoved the brownie batter into Alex's arms.

"Then let her tell _you_ she's ready for you to be an orphan again. I'm done hearing it." Scott stormed off towards the lower levels and opened the door for the Danger Room control room. He went inside, closed the door behind him, and sat at the control table, trying to make sense of the swirling letters and numbers around him.

*_Scott, where are you?_*

*_I'm in the control room for the DR, Professor. I'm sorry, I just needed a minute._* Minutes later, the doorknob turned. Scott stayed looking out the window into the simulation room as he heard footsteps walking towards him.

"Hep told me what happened," he heard Corsair start.

"I don't want to talk about it," Scott said, feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think your friends are actually pushing me out, you know. Well, the redhead might be. I think they're worried about me taking off and leaving you, so they're, in their own way, trying to prepare you to handle it."

"They need to just mind their own business."

"Part of me agrees, but son, if these are the people you train with every day, the people you trust to have your back, then honestly, I'd be flattered that they cared so much. And hurt that more aren't concerned about your well-being." Scott shrugged.

"I don't open up to a lot of people."

"Your mother was the same way, you know. She only had a couple close friends she felt like she could confide in. Married one of 'em."

"So how did she end up with you?"

"Ow, Scott. You wound me," Corsair told him with a smile. Scott gave him a small smile back and then turned away again.

"Jean figured out what the brush was for. I think she's rooting for you to pack up and leave."

"She'll just have to be disappointed then, won't she?"

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here." Corsair patted Scott on the back.

"Me too, son. Me too."

"I'm not… I'm not in trouble for running off, am I?"

"Did you leave the property?"

"No sir."

"Did you hurt anyone on your way out?"

"I don't think so."

"Then I think we're good. But just to be on the safe side, you can help clean up after dinner."

"But I was going to do that- I mean, yeah, that sounds fair." Corsair winked at Scott and walked towards the door.

"I need to get the grill going. Want to show me where it is?" Scott nodded and stepped out into the hall. Jean was there pacing.

"Scott, I'm sorry. I didn't- oh. You're here."

"Yes, I heard something was said to my son and I was concerned for him."

"Why are you doing this to him? You know you don't plan on staying. I heard you talking to Professor Xavier about the jet."

"One, it's rude to listen in on adult conversations. Two, of course I would ask about a plane- I'm a pilot for Pete's sake. Three, I am leaving in a few days- _with _Scott and Alex."

"We are? Oh, yeah! We're going home."

"What do you mean 'home?' _This _is home."

"_This_ is your professor's home that he's opened up. _Scott's_ home is in Alaska." Jean turned to Scott and stared at him.

"And you're just going to go? You're leaving us?"

"I thought you'd be happy for me."

"The X-Men have been your family for three years, and the second some aliens land, you're happy to just give it up. Yeah, I'm thrilled for you, Scott Summers." Jean turned and started walking away.

"I'm just going for a week to my childhood home with my dad and my brother. I didn't realize that was going to make me a traitor." But Jean refused to listen. She lifted herself into the air and flew away. Corsair sighed in frustration for his son.

"Just give her a few minutes. Once she hears the announcement that I'm staying on as an instructor, she'll figure out that I'm not abandoning you or taking you away. You know, for someone who isn't your girlfriend, she sure acts like it." Scott blushed.

"She prefers jocks."

"You were in Little League."

"It's not the- stop laughing at me!" Corsair bit his lips to stop laughing, but the face Scott was making made it impossible to completely stop. Finally, Scott just rolled his eyes and left for the kitchen. Corsair quickly followed after him.

"I always looked forward to you two being teenagers. Your mom dreaded the attitudes, but I couldn't wait to be able to tease you and it not damage you."

"Can I ask for one thing about that?"

"I can't guarantee I'll give you the answer you're looking for, but sure."

"Can you just keep the teasing between us or us and Alex? Even in front of just Kurt is fine, but the rest of the team can't see me like that. I have an image to maintain, and-"

"I got it, son. That's something you don't have to explain to me. You're the leader of your team and your team would have a hard time accepting your authority if they kept seeing you being ribbed by your old man."

"Exactly."

"But I expect the same thing once I become an instructor. If you have a problem with me and how I run things, I need you to talk to me privately. If you come at me in front of them, I will take you down in front of them."

"When you say 'take me down,' you mean…?"

"I'll verbally take you down, and depending on what exactly happened, I could very well announce that you'll be getting your ass spanked."

"I was afraid of that."

"So if you have a problem with me, you'll…?"

"Ask to talk to you privately."

"Good boy," Chris said, ruffling Scott's hair. Scott scowled as he fixed it back outside of the kitchen. He walked in after Corsair and Scott felt eyes on him immediately. He looked around and saw the whole main team staring at him and Chris.

"Um… Hi?"

"Is it, like, true, Scott?" Scott blinked, not that anyone could tell.

"Is what true?"

"Jean said you're leaving us, man. Just because some guy showed up? Dude, what the heck?" Scott glared at Jean and crossed his arms.

"I don't know what Jean has told you, but I am _not_ leaving the X-Men. And this _man_? This is my _dad_. Why are you allowed to take time off to visit your parents, but come after me for wanting to spend time with the dad I've spent the last _ten years_ thinking was _DEAD_?"

"So, yer not leavin' permanently?" Rogue asked.

"No."

"So, like, why _are_ you leaving?"

"I'm going home to see if we can find pictures of my dead mother. Does that satisfy everyone's curiosity?"

"Scott," Chris quietly chided. Scott saw Alex's face and he sighed.

"You guys could have just asked me. You didn't have to gang up on me. Now if you'll excuse me, _some guy_ needs to start the grill so you all can eat." Scott pushed through the group and grabbed Alex on the way to the patio from the kitchen door. He pointed to the grill and Corsair walked over to it to get it heating up.

"Is that really why we're going home, Scott?" Alex asked, making Scott feel incredibly guilty.

"No, it's just a bonus. We're going home because it's _home_, and because we'll get uninterrupted time with Dad."

"Then why-?"

"Because they deserved a proverbial slap in the face for accusing me of abandoning them and for begrudging me time away with my family while they spend practically every holiday with theirs. I'm sorry I didn't realize you were still in the room. I never would have said that if I saw you."

"You shouldn't have said it regardless," Corsair scolded from the grill. "You knew _I_ was in there. Are my feelings about your mother less important than your brother's?"

"No sir." Corsair turned and looked at Scott with his arms crossed.

"I'm tempted to turn you across my knee, Scott Christopher. You're old enough that I shouldn't have to tell you to watch what you say."

"Dad!" Alex started to protest.

"Alexander, this has nothing to do with you, so shut your mouth." Alex's mouth closed at the command. "You tell me, Scott. How should I handle this?"

"I don't know, sir," Scott answered. His hands were clasped behind his back and his legs were somewhat apart, but he wasn't meeting Corsair's eye.

"Maybe if I'd spanked you right earlier, this wouldn't have happened." Scott winced, knowing Alex was hearing everything. Chris sighed as he looked at the grill. "You'll eat and clean up after dinner, and then I expect you in bed. You're up with me at 4:30 for a five mile run in the morning."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Dismissed." Scott relaxed his body and went back inside where the other X-Men, minus Jean, were still lounging around. He saw Logan looking at him and blushed as he realized Logan most likely heard that whole exchange with his acute hearing.

"So like, where exactly are you from?" Kitty asked. "I don't think you've ever told us."

"No one's asked."

"Well, we're askin' now," Rogue said. "Where are ya from?"

"Alaska," Scott shrugged.

"Then like, how did Alex end up in like, Hawaii?" Scott sighed.

"I don't know, Kitty. I was in a coma. Look, can we not talk about this anymore? I've got schedules to make for while I'm gone, it's almost time to eat, and because of me snapping at being _blindsided_ by my _friends_, I get to run five miles with a USAF major at 4:30 tomorrow morning, so I'm not in that great of a mood."

"What a coincidence. Red's doing the same thing with an Army private," Wolverine said looking at the spices Chris had left on the counter. "Cayenne?"

"My grandpa's recipe. And thanks," he whispered. Logan nodded.

"Your daddy's callin' for you," Logan said pointing with his head to the door. Scott opened the back door.

"Yes sir?"

"Bring me the hamburger patties and the hotdogs."

"Yes sir." Scott left the door open as he went to the fridge and took the requested meats out. He closed the fridge door with his foot and carefully managed to get the patties and hotdogs outside.

"Alex, bring that table closer to the grill for your brother."

"Yes sir." Alex got up and touched the table, which was immediately blasted away and destroyed. Alex looked at Chris in fear, but Chris ran to him and grabbed his shoulders.

"Are you ok?" he asked, checking Alex over. "Scott, put those down. They'll be fine for a few minutes. Alex?"

"You… you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I destroyed the table… with special powers."

"Did you intentionally destroy it to get out of helping?"

"No sir."

"Then why would I be mad?"

"Powers?"

"Alex, I already know that this house is filled with people with special abilities. Charles told me earlier that that was how he found you. I've seen Scott's powers in action. I was hoping to see yours in a different setting, but this is fine, too."

"Will the professor be upset?" Alex asked Scott.

"With as much crap as Spyke and Kitty mess up? Losing a table won't even _begin_ to phase him. Besides, he's really cool about powers acting up. It's why he opened the Institute, so that people our age can learn to use them so things like that don't happen."

"Then why are you here?" Alex said, pushing himself away from Chris.

"Just because I can't turn my powers on and off like you-"

"_Boys_." Alex crossed his arms and Scott turned away. "Alex, pick up the trays of food. Scott, go get me another table." Neither moved. "_NOW_!" They jumped into action. Chris used the spatula he'd brought out and started putting patties and hotdogs on the grill while Alex held the trays. Scott came out a few minutes later with a long folding table and dishes to put the finished food, and slices of cheese.

"Dad, can you help me?" Chris came over and took the table from Scott. He opened it and sat it near the grill.

"Alex, put the trays of food down on this end. Scott, put those dishes on the other end." They did as requested and as soon as their arms were empty, Chris reached out and popped Alex twice and then Scott twice.

"Ow!"

"Dad!"

"I don't want to have to talk to either of you about arguing again for the rest of the night. You're brothers. _Act like it_."

"Yes sir," they said together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Refer to previous chapters about lack of ownership**

**Warning: spanking in chapter**

"I don't want to have to talk to either of you about arguing again for the rest of the night. You're brothers. _Act like it_."

"Yes sir," they said together.

"Scott, go check on the brownies." Scott nodded and went back inside. To his relief, his team was finally out of the kitchen. Scott checked the timer, saw there was less than a minute left on the brownies, so he went ahead and pulled them out.

"Scott?" Scott looked up and saw Jean standing at the doorway.

"Come to twist my words and tell everyone again?"

"I didn't mean to upset you. I was angry. I thought you-"

"You thought I was abandoning the first place I felt safe since the accident. You know, Jean, even if I'd decided to leave, that was still _my business_ to tell!" Scott turned off the oven and went back outside. "Dad!" Chris looked up and frowned.

"Yes?" Scott walked over, fuming.

"I'm not mad at you. I need to calm down before I say or do something I'll regret." Chris looked towards the kitchen door and saw Jean looking at them.

"Alex, can you ask someone to show you where the Starjammers are? I need to talk to Hepzibah."

"The skunk lady? Why?" Corsair turned and looked at his youngest.

"Because she's my girlfriend. And unless you want to feel a hairbrush on your bare ass, you'll be a bit more respectful when describing my woman." Alex gulped and nodded.

"Y-yes sir." Alex bolted inside the Institute, leaving Chris and Scott alone.

"What'd Jean do now?"

"She tried to apologize. She said she did it because she was angry. I just… maybe she isn't the person I thought she was, you know? Great to have on my team, but not someone I'd want to confide in if her first instinct is to go tell everyone." Chris thought on Scott's words for a few minutes as he flipped the burgers and removed the cooked hotdogs to replace them with uncooked hotdogs.

"I think you hit the nail on the head, kid. It's hard to see past the infatuation, but everyone has flaws. Jean, as wonderful a person as she might be, seems to need a little more time to grow up to get to your level. Who knows, maybe in a few years, things will be different? But for now, just enjoy bachelorhood." Chris pulled burgers off the grill and replaced them with raw patties.

"Thanks. Do you think we can go get clothes for the trip tomorrow and then just go? It's not like we need to buy tickets. I'll ask the professor to let us borrow one of the jets. He'll be fine with it."

"I need to discuss it with Hepzibah. And I still need to talk to the Starjammers about retiring."

"Do you want me to talk to the professor about an image inducer for her?"

"I can do it, Scott." Scott nodded. "Are you a bit calmer now?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I know I'm angry with her and I'm not ready to accept her apology, but I don't want to ruin our friendship completely."

"It's fine. I'm glad you came to me, and I'm glad you explained why you looked ready to murder someone."

"No I didn't."

"I've seen that face often enough- usually aimed towards me. I know it well. You looked ready to kill her." Scott sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

"I should apologize to her."

"Will you mean it?"

"Maybe."

"Then don't apologize to her until you mean it. Ah! My darling," Corsair suddenly said as Hepzibah came onto the patio..

"Your kitling said you wanted Hepzibah?"

"I did. It was just as much of a chance of allowing me to have a private conversation with Scott as it was true. Scott was wondering if we could get warmer clothes tomorrow in preparation for our trip to our home state. I wanted to run it by- is there something I can help you with, Scott?"

"Oh, um, no, I'll go do… other things."

"Scott-boy, you are fine to stay."

"No, really. I've taken up a lot of his time today. I'm ok." Scott turned and went back in the house. He saw Alex sitting with an almost dazed look.

"Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Is he really… Are they really together?"

"Yep." Alex looked at him.

"How do they _do_ it?" Scott made a face.

"Dude, that is _not_ something I want to think about." Scott heard the whirring of Charles' chair and he looked towards the door.

"Ah. Just who I was looking for. Hello, Scott. Alex. How are you two handling the events of today?"

"It's easier to accept that our dad's alive than it is to understand his taste in women. Post-Mom." Alex shuddered, and then quickly looked behind him to make sure Corsair hadn't heard him. Thankfully, he and Hepzibah were still outside, but by the looks of it, it wouldn't be much longer. Chris was turning knobs on the grill.

"I can see that. But I was more curious about how you were handling your father's return and sudden insertion back into your lives?"

"It's weird, but," Alex looked at Scott.

"It's like he was never gone."

"Exactly."

"It's nice. Since he's been here, even last night, I've felt… calmer. I didn't realize how tense I've been until I actually _relaxed_. I think… I think having him here will be good for the team. He's strict and has a no-nonsense policy when it's time to be serious, but he knows how to clown around with the best of them."

"Yeah, it's like his two personalities split between us. Scott doesn't know how to have fun, and I don't like being serious." Scott rolled his eyes and playfully shoved Alex.

"What did I just walk into? Scott Christopher Summers-" Scott stood up and held his hands out in front of him.

"No, no, no. It was playful. I barely touched him, Dad, I swear."

"It's true," Alex said, attempting to be helpful. "I'd said something and he was messing with me, but it wasn't arguing or fighting. Scout's honor." Corsair sat the cooked burgers and hotdogs on the counter.

"You were a Scout for a month."

"Still counts." Corsair sighed and looked at Charles.

"Were they fighting?"

"They were teasing each other. I believe it was normal, brotherly behavior." Corsair nodded and turned to address his sons.

"I know I said to act like brothers, but I'd like to amend that by saying you shouldn't be putting your hands on each other. Scott, you're almost an adult. Alex, you know better, especially if your powers are centered around your hands. I don't want to see it again, joking or not." Alex and Scott looked at each other and smirked. They both put their index fingers near the other's temple.

"I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!" they chanted together. Chris sighed dramatically and left the kitchen, muttering about how Katherine had been right about teenagers.

"He's gone, kitlings." Alex turned to Hepzibah, who was looking amused.

"What does that mean?"

"It means kids," Scott said, rolling his eyes.

"How do you know?"

"Context clues."

"That is correct, Scott-boy."

"Why do you say our names like that?"

"Why do you not?" Hepzibah asked back. Scott looked at Alex and then back to Hepzibah.

"You got me there. Ok, Alex, help me get the food to the dining room."

"Yes, O, wise brother of mine." Alex picked up the food and put it down immediately.

"What are- Ok, um, let's go outside. Professor, can you let my dad know? Thanks." Scott grabbed Alex by his upper arm and quickly dragged him outside.

"It hurts," Alex said through clenched teeth.

"I know it does. We'll get you some aspirin in a minute. You can't keep it bottled in, ok? Let it out."

"I'll hurt someone!"

"No you won't! Trust me. I did this several times a day until everything settled. And the more you're in the sun, the worse it is. Alex! Trust me!" Alex yelled as his powers became too much for him to handle. The blasts shot out and Scott didn't have time to move before they came at him.

"SCOTT!" Chris yelled, running to him.

"I'm ok!" Scott stood up and brushed himself off. "I didn't feel a thing." Corsair turned to Alex, fuming,

"ALEXANDER PHILIP-" Scott put a hand on Chris' shoulder.

"Dad, it was an accident. He was losing control and I was trying to show him where to shoot. I didn't move fast enough. And besides, it didn't even hurt. I'm fine. I didn't feel anything."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. I had to come out here all the time when I first got here, too. The pressure would just build and build, and this was the only place safe enough to release it. Once I started training and using them regularly, it wasn't as bad anymore. Alex just needs-"

"Don't tell me what I _need_ Scott! I'm not an X-Man and I'll never _be_ an X-Man! You can't-"

"Alex!"

"I'm not saying this as an X-Man! I'm saying this as your brother who went through THE SAME THING!"

"Scott-!"

"It isn't the same because _my brain works and I can control it_!"

"BOYS!" Scott lunged at Alex and the two began to physically fight. Alex knocked Scott's glasses off, but Scott, despite all his training, didn't get his eyes closed in time. He felt the blasts leaving before squeezing them tight, and then he felt himself being pulled up by his ear.

"Ow! Ah, Dad, let me go!" Chris let him go and shoved his glasses into his hands. Scott put them on and saw Alex sitting up. He felt both satisfied and sickened at the bloodied lip Alex was sporting.

"Alex, did you feel Scott's powers?" Alex shook his head. "Good." Chris grabbed Alex by his ear and pulled him up.

"Ow! Dad stop!" Chris let him go and pushed him to stand beside Scott.

"What have you two done wrong today?" Alex and Scott both stood at attention with their hands behind their backs.

"I fought with Alex."

"I fought with Scott."

"Did you two even hear me calling for you to stop?"

"No sir," they both replied. Chris sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"What do you deserve?"

"D-discipline, sir," Scott said, for the second time that day.

"Dad,"

"Alexander." Alex hung his head.

"Discipline, sir." Chris looked at each of them.

"As much as you two know I hated punishing you in front of each other, I think this time it's warranted."

"Dad!"

"Alexander, I will not speak to you about talking out of turn again. If it happens again, I will add _another_ spanking to what you've already earned."

"I'm sorry," Alex said in a quiet voice. Chris rubbed his eyes.

"I want both of you to go to Scott's room and present yourselves." Scott's stomach dropped.

"Yes sir."

"But-" Scott gently shoved Alex's shoulder with his shoulder. "Yes sir." The two trudged inside and ignored the other teens in the house as they made their way up to Scott's room. Scott closed the door behind him and groaned.

"We're in so much trouble."

"_We_? _You_ attacked _me_!"

"Yeah, and I'm going to get it worse, I'm sure. But you started it, _and_ you knocked my glasses off."

_*Your dad is on his way up.*_ Scott heard Jean send him.

"Just get over the bed. If he sees we didn't listen, it'll be worse." Scott unbuttoned his pants and pushed them and his boxers to his knees again before bending over his bed.

"I'm not-"

"Dude, do you want to piss him off more?" Alex groaned and quickly copied Scott.

"This sucks." Scott felt his insides begin to twist as he heard his door opening.

"Alright boys. Let's get this over with so we can go eat." Scott whimpered as he heard the sound of the brush striking Alex's butt.

"Ah! Ow! Dad! OW!" Scott covered his ears to stop hearing Alex's cries, but it was impossible. Once the sound of the striking was over, Scott felt movement beside him and realized that Alex had gotten up, and then before he knew it, the back of the brush was resting on his backside. Scott grabbed his comforter in his fists and took a breath.

Chris saw him do this and gave him a minute to prepare, but then he pulled the brush back and smacked it into Scott's butt. Scott grunted. It was more than obvious that Chris had been holding back earlier. After a dozen swats, Scott felt tears leaking from his eyes. Chris saw Scott's shoulders shaking in quiet sobs and moved his arm so that the brush would connect with the skin right under Scott's butt. He smacked the paddle down, alternating sides, ten more times before tossing it onto the bed. He put his hand on the back of Scott's head.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Scott Christopher?"

"'M sorry! I won't f-fight a-again!"

"If we have to have this discussion again, you two will be experiencing my belt."

"But Mom said-"

"Scott was _seven_ when I made that threat. It's been ten years. You two are most certainly old enough for it now."

"If you even _have_ one," Scott mumbled, pulling his underwear and pants back up. Chris narrowed his eyes at his oldest.

"You're right Scott, I don't have one at this moment. But by this time tomorrow, I will. And if we have to have this conversation again before I've had the chance to acquire my own, I'll just send one of you to ask Private Howlett for one of his. In fact, maybe I'll have Scott do it tonight just in case."

"Dad, no! Please! We won't fight anymore, I swear!"

"I don't want a promise to just not fight, Scott. I want you to both swear you will _get along_. You have to understand that Alex doesn't take orders well- he _never_ has. And Alex, _you_ have to remember that Scott is _trained_ to help kids your age get through this. Not only that, but he has the _same powers_ and he knows how to handle them. He's trying to get you through it with less pain than he had to experience. You should be grateful your brother cares enough about you to do so instead of spitting in his face."

"Sorry," Alex mumbled to Chris.

"It's not _me_ you should be apologizing to, Alexander."

"Sorry, Scott." Scott wiped at his face and crossed his arms, refusing to look at Alex.

"Scott, don't you have something you'd like to say to your brother?"

"No sir."

"Scott-"

"You said not to apologize unless it's meant, and I won't mean it. I've been trying the last three months to work with him, even scheduling time to go to Hawaii to help him get over this hump. Every time, a surf competition comes up and he has me cancel my flight. Obviously, he wants nothing to do with me. But now he's on _my _turf. It's part of my _job_ to help him whether he likes it or not, and he just throws not being able to control my powers in my face, especially since they're that way because I chose to save his life by being willing to sacrifice mine. So no, I'm not apologizing for beating him up. I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner."

"Alex, go get some dinner."

"But-"

"Alex."

"Yes sir." Alex gave a look to Scott and then left the room.

"Explain to me what you meant by that, Scott." Scott sighed and leaned against one of his walls.

"Mom strapped him to his 'chute while I was getting mine on. We jumped. His 'chute caught fire right after I got it up, so I unlatched him and he held on to me. My 'chute caught on fire and we started going down fast. My powers… I guess I tapped into everything I had to save him, and that was the first time my eyes had the blasts coming out. It slowed us down a little, but we were over a bunch of rocks." Scott sniffed and wiped his face.

"All I could think about was he was too little to die, so I turned myself and took the brunt of the rocks. The doctors at the hospital told me my occipital lobe was damaged beyond repair. My broken bones had healed by the time I woke up, and they honestly weren't expecting me to be able to see at all. I was told I was going to be legally blind before I became an adult. Now we know my eyesight is 20/20, but I can't just will my powers to come and go like everyone else can. So to hear him tell me about my damaged brain, and how I can't understand what he's going through… I'm not looking for his thanks. I'm his big brother, and my job was to keep him safe. But I'd like something showing he understood what I was willing to do to keep him safe- to _still_ keep him safe." Scott used his shirt to wipe the tears from his face.

"Ok. I can understand the motivation behind the punching a little bit better. Does Alex _know_ what you did for him?"

"He said he remembered the accident," Scott shrugged. "He said he'd gone to get help, and when he came back, I was gone. How can he remember that, but not anything else?"

"Repressed memories? I don't know. We can talk to him. But I need you to understand, deserving or not, you can't just beat up your brother because he upsets you. I'll have a talk with him about watching what he says to you, but you are responsible for your actions. I'm serious about taking a belt to you if you fight again."

"Yes sir."

"Ok. Are you ready to go have some dinner?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Then you'll just have to watch everyone eat while you wait to clean up, won't you?" Scott groaned.

"Can I just stay up here?"

"Scott Christopher Summers, are you arguing with me?"

"No sir!"

"Then get your ass downstairs before I decide I'm not finished spanking it."

"Yes sir." Scott wiped his face again and left his room. Chris watched him leave and once he was gone, Chris took the hairbrush and slid it into his pocket before following after. Chris got to the dining room and saw his sons standing outside the doors, talking.

"-I said what did. I don't blame you for hitting me. I'd've hit me."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have punched you. I should've just let Dad do it. So, I'm sorry, too."

"Touching," he said out loud. "But still not exactly obeying me. Go eat, both of you can clean up, and then go to bed. Scott, you're up at 4:30. I expect you by the front door by 4:45."

"Yes sir," Scott said. The two went into the dining room and Chris followed close behind them. He saw them head to the side of the table with the X-Men and Chris took the open seat next to Hepzibah.

"Being a father looks good on you, Captain," Ch'od said as he finished his eighth hamburger.

"About that. I think it's time we talked,"

"No, need, Captain. As stated ninety-seven times just this month that you would prefer your offspring, we have concluded that it would be more beneficial for you to remain here, as your offspring are clearly alive."

"Raza… You kept count?"

"It is the only thing you have said more than cursing the Emperor."

"Hep… You know how I feel about you. I would do anything for you. But now I have a chance to be with my boys."

"Hepzibah understands, my love," she said, refusing to meet his eye.

"No, Hepzibah. I, I'd like for you to stay with me. But I don't want to force you to choose between me and the Starjammers." Hepzibah smiled and hugged Corsair.

"We've already removed your things, Hepzibah," Ch'od told her. "And if we need you, either of you, we'll call."

"Ch'od, my last act as captain is to declare you my replacement. Raza, you will become his second officer. I would request that during your travels, you check in occasionally. My boys are my boys, but you are still my family."

"To Corsair!" Ch'od said, raising his cup.

"To Corsair!" Raza and Hepzibah echoed, raising their glasses. Corsair smiled and raised his own cup. He briefly looked around and saw the X-Men staring at the Starjammers. Charles and Logan had their glasses lifted, as did Scott and Alex.

He was home.


End file.
